Kizito Nkum

Detail-oriented Research Assistant with hands-on experience performing clerical and laboratory work to advance research goals. Drives team success with expertise in data review, reporting and specimen handling. Specializes in laboratory research. To seek and maintain full-time position that offers professional challenges utilizing interpersonal skills, excellent time management and problem-solving skills.. Adept at prepping resources, equipment, and materials for research. Extensive background in investigating research areas. Reliable individual with skills and experience as Laboratory Technician. Smart and committed to job well done and offering exceptional drive.

• Member| Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP)
• Global outreach – student member| American Society for Microbiology (ASM)
• Student member| Biological Sciences Students Association (BIOSSA), LEGON

• Deputy Financial Secretary, Department of Plant and environmental Biology, LEGON, 09/2020 - 05/2021
• Academic Mentor, Department of Plant and environmental Biology, LEGON, 09/2021 - 09/2022

• Host-pathogen Interactions
• Evolutionary Biology
• Vector-borne and Infectious Diseases
• Immunology, Molecular and Cell Biology
• Drug Discovery

• Research Assistant, University of Ghana (UG), Department of Plant and Environmental Biology, Prof. Isaac Asante, 02/2022 - 05/2022, Assessing the Potential for Harnessing Cocoa-associated Filamentous Fungi for the Biocontrol of Aflatoxigenic Aspergillus flavus, Isolated and described filamentous fungus related with cocoa, Designed experiments in conjunction with the main investigator to evaluate the possibility for biocontrol, Kept thorough and well-organized records of all experimental procedures, findings, and observations, Used UV fluorescence to track aflatoxin formation
• Research Assistant, University of Ghana (UG), Department of Plant and Environmental Biology, Prof. Isaac Asante, 02/2022 - 05/2022, The Effect of Plant Extracts on Inhibition of Resistance Development in Bacteria, To identify patterns of resistance, evaluated the susceptibility of bacteria isolates to different antibiotics, As needed to maintain consistency throughout the trial, sub-culturing was done, Performed inhibition experiments to assess how plant extracts affected the development of bacterial resistance and growth
• Research Assistant, University of Ghana (UG), Department of Plant and Environmental Biology, Prof. Isaac Asante, 02/2022 - 05/2022, Isolation, Identification, and Molecular Characterization of Microbes from the Gastrointestinal Tract of some Wild Ruminants, Utilized aseptic techniques and appropriate culture media for the isolation of bacteria and fungi, Employed various microbiological techniques, including morphological and biochemical methods for the identification of isolated microbes, Created a comprehensive database for future reference, Assisted in the training of undergraduate project students and interns
• Research Assistant, University of Ghana (UG), Department of Animal Biology And Conservation Science, Dr. Samuel Duodu, 02/2021 - 08/2021, Analysis of Clinical and Environmental Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolates' Phenotypic and Genomic Features, Studied the research on CRISPR/Cas technology and the resistance mechanisms of hypervirulent K. pneumoniae, Examined how resistant the environmental and clinical isolates were to widely used antibiotics, Used the PCR method and CRISPR/Cas technology to examine the presence of Cas 1 and 3 genes in resistant isolates in order to validate the full CRISPR/Cas system

• WACCBIP Research Conference, 07/2023, Innovative Research for Sustainable Impact, Participant
• WACCBIP Research Conference, 07/2022, Building Forward: Elevating African Research Innovation & Output, Participant and a member of the planning committee
• 32nd Biennial Conference of the Ghana Science Association, 10/2021, Mitigating COVID-19 Pandemic: The Quest for Scientific and Technological Innovations, Submitted abstract for approval and delivered an oral presentation of my undergraduate project work

• Public Engagement in Genetic Research on Hearing Impairment, 06/2022
• Operation Clean your Frontage Bye-Law, 02/2022
• COVID-19 Surveillance, 12/2021
• HIV/AIDS Screening, 12/2021

• Creative designing
• Reading journals
• Videography
• Community engagement
• Cooking

• One Health in Sub-Saharan Africa, LEGON in collaboration with University of Bremen, Germany, 01/2024
• Utility of Clinical Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing for Diagnosis of Infections, Association of Molecular Pathology, 12/2022
• Introduction to the Biology of Cancer, Johns Hopkins University (Coursera), 11/2022
• The role of the laboratory in the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR), Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists (GAMLS), Central Region Chapter, 07/2022
• Research proposal writing (SEAL-IT) workshop, Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR), Kumasi| American Society for Microbiology, 12/2021
• Understanding the brain: The neurobiology of everyday life, The University of Chicago (Coursera), 03/2021
• Understanding clinical research: Behind the statistics, The University of Chicago (Coursera), 02/2021
• COVID-19: Operational planning guidelines and COVID-19 partners platform to support country preparedness and response, The World Health Organization (WHO), 04/2020